Find documents by name, keyword, or question across the IEMA Ekati archive.
BHP Diamonds Inc.'s Construction Phase Environmental Management Plan (August 1997) establishes comprehensive environmental awareness training and management procedures for the NWT Diamonds Project, including detailed protocols for all site personnel, contractors, and subcontractors to minimize environmental impacts during mine construction.
This independent review by the Canadian Institute of Resources Law examines the regulatory processes, agreements, and decision-making framework that led to approval of BHP's diamond mine in the Lac de Gras area of the Northwest Territories. The report documents the Environmental Agreement, water licence, Impact and Benefits Agreements, and Socio-Economic Agreement, and provides recommendations for applying this model to future mineral development in the North.
The Supreme Court of Canada decision in Delgamuukw v. British Columbia (June 1997) establishes the constitutional content and proof requirements for aboriginal title under s. 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982, addressing claims by Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs to 58,000 square kilometres in British Columbia. The court held that aboriginal title encompasses the exclusive right to use and occupy land for various purposes, must be proven through evidence of occupation at sovereignty (including oral histories), is inalienable and communal, and can only be infringed by government if justified by compelling objectives paired with consultation and fair compensation.
This newsletter issue documents traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of Inuit and Cree peoples in the Hudson Bay bioregion, compiled in the book 'Voices from the Bay.' It presents detailed observations of environmental changes, sea ice conditions, wildlife populations, and ecosystem dynamics accumulated through generations of land-based living, alongside critiques of resource development projects including hydroelectric dams and mining operations.
Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency (IEMA) Report on Review of BHP's Construction Phase Environmental Management Plan, including INAC (June 19 1997, Yellowknife) commentary on inadequate/incomplete sections, federal-department-review participants (Environment Canada / DOE, Department of Fisheries and Oceans / DFO including Canadian Coast Guard, NRCan), Section 7.4 monitoring at the earliest stage, missing intra-site road environmental-protection construction measures, Section 6.2.3 significant-wildlife-sighting reporting protocol, and Linda Dunsmore commentary on regulatory scrutiny and twenty-five-year retrospective data accumulation.
BHP Diamonds Inc. sponsored a comprehensive business directory listing over 822 northern suppliers across 15 NWT communities, organized by business type and service category to facilitate procurement by the company, its contractors, and regional business development.
This second annual report documents pilot revegetation studies at the Fox Portal site in the Northwest Territories, testing soil amendments (esker sand, lake sediment, organic soil) and plant materials (native grasses, forbs, shrub cuttings) to rehabilitate areas disturbed by diamond mining operations. Results after one growing season show that native-grass cultivars performed best with 4-8% plant cover, while soil microbiology and chemistry varied significantly among amendments, with organic soil showing the most favorable conditions for plant growth.
BHP's comprehensive operational manual for Koala Camp residents covering accommodation, facilities, rules, check-in/check-out procedures, emergency protocols, security measures, and site orientation for the NWT Diamonds Project in the Northwest Territories.
The Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency provides detailed comments and recommendations on BHP Billiton's 2001 Aquatics and Wildlife Effects Monitoring Programs (AEMP and WEMP) and February 2002 environmental workshops, addressing improvements in reporting, monitoring protocols, data analysis, and Aboriginal participation.
The West Kitikmeot/Slave Study Society's annual report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1997 documents the first official year of operations of a multi-partner research initiative examining environmental and socioeconomic effects of mineral development in the West Kitikmeot/Slave area of the Northwest Territories. The report details the governance structure, 17 approved research projects, financial management of approximately $2.25 million in matched funding from government, industry, aboriginal, and environmental partners, and highlights integrating traditional knowledge with scientific research approaches.
This report documents Dogrib elders' traditional knowledge and observations of environmental change at the abandoned Rayrock uranium mine site in the Northwest Territories before, during, and after mine operations (1957-1959). The Dogrib Renewable Resources Committee presents interviews with 50 elders describing the healthy ecosystem prior to mining, the contamination and ecological destruction during operations, and ongoing environmental and health impacts, arguing that indigenous harvesters should have monitored mining activities on their traditional territory.
This final report documents the West Kitikmeot Slave Study's research framework refinement process, identifying priority research questions to assess cumulative environmental and socioeconomic effects of mineral development in the region through workshops and consultation with multiple stakeholders.
BHP / Dia Met Minerals Ltd. News Releases binder (1997). Includes the December 4 1997 release "BHP's Ekati Diamond Mine — establishing new safety records" (Saturday November 29 1997 milestone), November 25 1997 release "BHP Diamonds Inc. signs marketing consulting agreement" (Kelowna), October 7 1997 joint BHP/Dia Met release naming the new diamond mine (production target October 1998; Graham Nicholls Manager External Affairs contact), August 21 1997 NWT Diamonds Project exploration and development update (Kelowna), and Feasibility Study Summary of Mining Reserves by pipe (Panda, Misery, Koala, Fox, Sable) and Capital Cost Estimates.
This 1996 wildlife baseline study for the proposed BHP Diamonds mine at Lac de Gras documents caribou migration patterns, carnivore denning sites, grizzly bear movements and habitat use, bird surveys, and small mammal inventory across the NWT claim block. The comprehensive report provides baseline environmental data collected to assess potential impacts of diamond mine development on northern wildlife.
BHP announces completion of the final feasibility study for the NWT Diamonds Project and confirms receipt of regulatory approvals including an 8-year Class A Water Licence and Environmental Agreement. Construction of mine infrastructure has commenced with production expected in the second half of 1998.
BHP Diamonds Inc.'s Construction Phase Environmental Management Plan (Version 1.0, February 1997) outlines comprehensive strategies and mitigation measures for managing environmental impacts during the construction of the NWT Diamonds Project (Ekati), covering air quality, materials management, waste management, wildlife protection, traffic control, and environmental monitoring from January 1997 through October 1998.
A legally binding environmental agreement dated January 6, 1997 between Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and BHP Diamonds Inc. (on behalf of itself and the Blackwater Group) establishing the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency and setting out comprehensive environmental management, monitoring, reporting, and closure requirements for the Ekati Diamond Mine project near Lac de Gras in the Northwest Territories.
Kimberlite Studies binder for the Ekati Diamond Mine (1998-2004). Includes Ian Goodwin (BHPB) distribution of the 2003 Wildlife Effects Monitoring Program (WEMP) Draft Report and "Aquatic Toxicity Associated with Diamond Ore (Kimberlite) Mining" report (Appendices 2-4), Red Pederson (Agency) comment letter on toxicity identification evaluation and health/body-condition assessment, BHP Terms of Reference for a Kimberlite Toxicity Study under Water Licence N7L2-1616 (January 6 1998, Steve Harbicht recipient), ETL Enviro Test Chemspec Analytical Ltd. laboratory data, Pascoe / Evans / Woodworth (1986) heavy-metal-toxicity / water-hardness references, and Kimberlite Elemental Whole Rock Analysis tables for Misery, Panda, Fox, Leslie, Koala pits.
This 1997 traditional knowledge study documents the history, territory, and environmental knowledge of the Weledeh Yellowknives Dene First Nation regarding Ek'ati (Lac de Gras), an area planned for diamond mining development. The report includes extensive recommendations for minimizing mining impacts on ancestral sites, water resources, wildlife, and the people's continued use of their traditional lands.
This 1997 report by Andrew Nikiforuk, commissioned by the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation, critically examines the failures of federal environmental assessment in Canada. The document argues that the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) has become a flawed, politically discretionary process that violates basic EA principles, using the BHP diamond mine in the Northwest Territories as a primary case study of systemic failures in assessment rigor, independence, and compliance.